Lenore,
Good luck as you start the protocol. Thank you for helping all of us succeed on the protocol and for answering our questions.
I hope that you respond just as well this time on the protocol.

Take care,
Bella

Hello,
Lenore, I am glad the Atkins worked so well for you. I have ordered products from Florida for the last two years, they are one of the best suppliers of low carb products I have found. I did wonder about eating all the soy while on the protocol, so I haven't ordered any low carb things from them for the last 5 months. Dr. Atkins does say in his book, I also get his newsletters,,,that the bcp is one of the meds that prohibits ketosis. So do let us know how you do. I know for me, the progesterone in the pill makes my sugar go way up, I had the same problem with the IVF progesterone suppositories, had to go on insulin during the 3 out of 4 IVF's that we did.
Do keep us posted,,,I stayed a size 5 for the last two years on Atkins, so I know I will get back down again after this is all over! Good luck and keep us posted....take care, Cathy

Thanks for keeping us updated, Lenore!
I have never tried Atkins or anything. I always figure I am doing okay, as long as I am not gaining weight. I did gain some weight on the protocol, but I am expecting to lose it when we bring a baby home. When we brought our dd home more than 2 years ago, she and her cousins kept me so busy. I am sure that's why I lost 25-30 pounds. I think between nursing, caring for a newborn, my 28 month old, and her cousins during the week (including a cousin due at the end of May) that weight will peel right off. If we can just get matched, it will insure a very busy summer!
Keep us posted! And good luck!
DawnL

Hi Lenore,

I am another ATkins believer! I started doing Atkins almost 4 years ago, and lost about 65 pounds. I also have PCOS, which is insulin resistance, so it's something that I really need to do, aside from the weight loss. When I was nursing Adam fulltime I got down to 125, but as soon as he self-weaned, I'm back up at around 135, which is still nice, compared to 180-190 like I was before I found Atkins.

Anyway, that's so funny that you're also doing the lowcarb thing. Dr. Atkins actually reminds me of Dr. Newman alot, if you know what I mean. Both dare to question the medical establishment that they are a part of, and have cult followers like me!

Kerri
Adoptive Mama to Cole (3) and Adam (1 1/2)
26 years old
IBCLC in training
LLL Leader-Applicant
BC, Canada

Lenore,
I was wondering if you ever thought of having the procedure to block the blood supply to your fibroids? It seems to be really effective. By doing this the fibroids die. This might be pretty helpful for you

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all this wonderful support!!!

I'm continuing to do well with Atkins. I must say I'm thrilled to have found out about it and to have tried it. I know exactly what you mean Kerri when you say that Dr. Atkins reminds you of Dr. Newman. I had the exact same thought when I heard Dr. Atkins speaking on Larry King Live. Both of these doctors are pioneers and both faced alot of opposition from their peers and both perservered, thank goodness.

Yes, Nona, I did look into the embolization procedure but unfortunately I'm not a candidate. But thank you so much for suggesting it. It's really the way of the future.

I've found a lab who is willing to do my blood tests later today and so I am planning to take my first bcp tomorrow. I like to take them at bedtime so I'll be starting my domperidone the following morning. I'll do lipolysis testing the following day and keep track to see if I can maintain Atkins.

I'll keep you all posted. Thank you again for your support. You can't imagine what it means to me. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />

Fondly,

Hey Lenore,

Just wondering how it's going? When are you planning to visit your "bambino" again? How are you doing with the protocol and the diet?

Esther

Hi Everyone,

We the first week has been pretty much what I went through the last time. The headache finally subsided yesterday but I still feel fatigued. I'm not as nauseated as last time because I'm eating practically zero carbohydrates. I gained 3 pounds but now my weight is stable. I'm still on Atkins but really I'm not eating any carbs except a bit of salad, mostly lettuce, 2 slices of cucumber, 1/4 tomato. Breadfast is an Atkins shake which has 2 carbs, lunch is the salad mentioned above with a scoop of either tuna or salmon in two tsp of mayonaise. Supper is 4 oz of meat, fish or poultry. I'm also trying to drink at least a litre of water per day and I'm taking the Atkins vitamin supplements.

If I'm hungry, I have 2 oz of heavy cream in a cup of decafinated coffee sweetened with Splenda or I have 1 oz of macademia nuts. If i find myself constipated I eat 1 Atkins Endulge bar or 1/2 of a Zero carbohydrate brownie sweetened with malitol and available through www.lowcarbproducts.com

Boobs were not doing anything at all until the day before yesterday when they suddenly "woke up". They are fuller and my underarms are tender.

We're leaving Saturday for Texas to visit our wonderful surrogate mom and to see the baby on ultrasound Monday. I'll let you know how it all went.

Thanks for asking :-)

Fondly,

Hello Everyone,

It's been 3 weeks since my lact confession...er.....oops!

OK, seriously...my husband and I just got back from Texas early this morning, 2 AM to be exact and so I'm just a little bit "punchy".

We met with our wonderful surrogate mom and her OB, the marvelous and incredibly hospitalble Dr. Maurizio Maccato. He's also a complete laugh riot!! He was very generous and allowed us to video the ultrasound and pointed everything out to us and gave each of us a photo.

Our little "spud with buds" is now a whopping 3.5 cm "head and bod" with arms and legs. Still no neck but you can't have everything LOL. I must say I was very relieved to see open hands as that is one of the markers for a healthy babe.

Everything is going swimmingly well, we can hardly believe it!! This is a completely different experience from last time.

I'm roughly two weeks into the induced lactation protocols. Boobs are bigger and pretty tender which is a very good sign.

We're due to visit Texas again in about 2 weeks and then again the week of May 20 for the amnio. More news soon...

Fondly,

Lenore,
Great news..I am so happy for you! I plan to start pumping the beginning of May,,,will 6.5 months on the meds give me a good result or should I try to stay on it longer? We are still planning to travel to Guatemala the week of June 18th,,,,thanks, Cathy

Hi Cathy,

Thank you!

Because you've been on the protocol for more than 6 months you can begin to pump at any time. Once you start pumping you'll need to do so every 2-3 hours and once during the night for optimum results. So wait until you're ready and all you're ducks are in a row Ok?

I want to thank you and all the other moms on this site who are working tirelessly to help the newer members who have recently joined our message boards. I'm very grateful for the support I'm receiving personally and I'm sure everyone else is just as thankful as I am to have this wonderful, supportive environment to share our stories.

Fondly,

Lenore,
You are very welcome,,I refer alot of people I meet to your site, as well as giving copies of the protocols to MD's etc.
I met a ob/gyn doc in a store and she was bottle feeding her 4 week old baby girl. We started talking and I mentioned the NG
protocol. She seemed very interested and told me how wonderful that I was going to nurse,,,I could not help
wondering why she was bottle feeding,,the baby was crying hysterically and her husband had to go to the car
to get the bottle. I will let you know when I start pumping, thanks alot, Cathy

Hi Cathy,

Yes, it's difficult for me to watch any bottle feeding mother but we have to cut them some slack for often they know not what they are doing. Just because a person has MD or RN after their name does not automatically imply that they have had any breastfeeding instruction. Most medical schools don't have it as part of the curriculum and those that do basically cover breast anatomy and leave it at that. The lack of knowledge about the importance of breastfeeding by health professionals is truly mind boggling...ok end of vent.

I'm on my second pack of Ortho 1/35. My blood tests came back yesterday and my prolactin is a whopping 222!!!! Technically I could start pumping now but I'm gonna wait. It's interesting because I don't have the dramatic breast changes that I had the first time but my prolactin level did not jump as high and as fast last time either.

I started domperidone 20 mg 4 times per day. I'm expecting to be pretty dragged out by tomorrow afternoon. Thank goodness it's the weekend.

Our wonderful surrogate mom emailed to say all is well with our little one. We are currently at 12 weeks and 5 days. Seems the baby is moving around like the dickens!! Our amnio is scheduled for May 20. My husband and I are planning to be there. Maybe we'll get a sneak peak at the gender...

Fondly,

Lenore,
Congrat's on your prolactin level, up so high already! Also, it must be a tremendous relief to have your surrogate and your baby be past the 3 month mark. I would think twice about the amnio, its rare but it certainly can have some risks with the procedure and after working so hard for so long to get to this point ....just a thought. It looks like we may have a referral in May. Such a long process.
I had a question about domperidone, I know you should take it on am empty stomach. I tell you, usually less than 30 minutes after I take it,,when it seems to peak or kick in,,,I all of the sudden get horrendously hungry and cannot wait the 30 minutes. Will this matter too much? Also, does it matter if I drink a hot beverage around the time I take it? I drink alot of hot decaf herbal tea etc..all day...some meds you are not supposed to take with hot liquids.
Would it be more beneficial to stay on the protocol until we leave the end of June and then instead of pumping ahead of time, just let the baby nurse with the Lact-aid and bring my milk in that way? Or should I definately pump at least 3-4 weeks ahead of time?
I am checking the pharmacies on line to find the necon and provera. I only have a couple more weeks to go to make it to the seven month mark.
I am so glad your baby is healthy and everything is going great. It must be such a great feeling. We all really appreciate you and Dr. Newman helping us .
Take care,
Cathy

Hi Lenore,

Great posts. I've been following on with much interest.

Cathy, have you tried www.getthepill.com? I think you can get both Ortho 1/35 and the provera there. Another source is Planet Pharm. The get the pill site will ask you to fill out a questionnaire...be careful with those questions. If you say you're over 35 they won't provide the prescription. They will have the script at your local pharmacy within 2 hours for a minor fee. It's very convenient. Just make sure your family physician knows what you're up to.

For the dom...I have a trick I use. I stick it under my tongue. That gets it into my system pronto and I don't have to wait to eat. Avoids the absorption problem. Hot drinks don't affect dom because doesn't contain protein and won't be affected by heat.

As for the amnio thing..remember Lenore's 43 and that precious egg of her's was 41 when she layed it. She's pretty concerned about that. She always recommends that a specialist do the amnio, a perinatologist (see her infertility guide on this site). This way the risks are vastly reduced. There is also the paternity thing. They can use the DNA from the amnio for finalization of parental rights. So with one test, all bases are covered. I once asked her about CVS and she was concerend that it didn't cover neural tube defects like spina bifida and some other things. Plus there's all that stuff about missing fingers and toes if done badly or too early.

Lenore's up to speed. Believe me. Chatting with her is like talking with an encyclopedia. She's lot 8 babies to recurrent miscarriage. She's really been through the wringer poor thing. And she just told me of a case of a 23 year old who did blood tests and ultrasounds but no amnio because her insurance wouldn't cover it due to her age. The baby was born with Down's. So you never know. Her motto is better safe than sorry. I know that her surrogate mom is taking time off after the procedure to rest and recover.

Esther

Hello Esther,
Thanks for the info about the ortho/necon and provera, and the trick about the domperidone. It is so hard for me to wait the 30 minutes, I get so hungry I almost throw up. I am still so fatigued, for the last 6.5 months, I may just go another 2 weeks on the protocol and start pumping.
I would def. not recommend the cvs sampling, you are right, too many risks. I did not realize the amnio would help with the whole surrogate legal procedures, it does make sense for her to have it.
I am still trying to get ahold of the LLL in Guatemala, I have called and no answer, maybe they are only there on certain days. I wanted them to find out if I can purchase domperidone in Guatemala or it I have to bring a large supply with me. When I find out , I will let everyone know.
Thanks, Cathy

Hi Everyone,

My lastest update ended up over here http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/show...amp;amp;fpart=1

Cathy, can you get hold of some of Dr. Atkins shake powder? Mix 2/3 scoop in 2 1/2 oz of heavy cream (not whipping cream cause that has sugar) in a small tupper wear container with a lid. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds and you will have one of the best little snacks ever!! And the good news is it's only about 1-2 carbs depending on the shake powder you use.

I get my Atkins things online at http://atkinscenter.com/. They deliver very quickly. I also bought the cheese cake mix and the Steel's cherry duet. I have myself a piece of cheese cake every day. Keeps those pounds off and the cravings under control.

Fondly,

Hello,
I have some shake mix right in my pantry now! It is very good mixed with heavy cream. I find my body knows the difference between the low carb stuff,,,and the real goodies.
I will try it again though. I am severely depressed since yesterday. After doing paperwork for almost 7 months for Guatemala, they signed the Hague Convention much earlier than I thought. Last I heard it was to be signed in early 2004.
Anyways, any adoptions filed after March 5th 2003 pretty much are not guaranteed to even be processed at all. Since it took the Guatemalan Embassy six weeks to get out paperwork back to us, of course we missed the March 5th deadline. In essence, their whole adoption government procedures are shutting down while they change all thier laws etc...I was about one week away from gettin my referral. Now, after seven months I have to switch to another country. Lets see, Viet Nam is still "closed",,as in Cambodia and Romania. Bolivia and Columbia have travel warnings...China has the SARS warning, Russia is a possibility although older babies, Kazakhstan the same,,,,we are also looking into mexico. It is over a 6 month wait for a girl there, and it is 3 trips to Mexico,,both parents...so many trips, that is one reason we had not chosen it to begin with. Sooooo,,,just set to start pumping next week, now what?
I was crying all last night at work, trying not to let my patients see how upset I was, of course,,,,I just wonder if I have the strength to swtich countries and do all the paperwork again. We'll see. Thanks for listening, Cathy

Cathy,
I am so sorry hon! Have you thought of doing a surrogacy??? You have the finances and it might be a much easier process for you to go through. Again I am sorry... I hope something changes for you.
hugs Nona

Oh Cathy!!!

This is just awful!!! I agree with Nona. Have you thought about surrogacy? Either traditional surrogacy or egg donor and gestational surrogacy, would run about the same cost. The agency we used was the Center for Surrogate Parenting and Egg Donation in Encino, CA. www.creatingfamilies.com They have offices on both the east and west coast.

I'm so sorry to hear this news. My thoughts are prayers are with you dear friend.

Fondly,

Lenore and Nona,
Thanks for your support, I still am deciding what to do. I e-mailed an agency about Mexico, just to see how its going. I did find a surrogacy agency that did TS. It is actually the same cost of international adoption. I asked our agency why they let us continue to do our paperwork, including paying $220 six weeks ago for the Embassy to put the stamp on our documents,,,they said they do not know what will happen now, we can still apply, but it could be up to one year before the adoption would be done, so in essence, the baby could be up to one year old when we finally take her home.
Our nursery is done, we had started to pack for our trip this summer. I even made the mistake of buying baby girl clothes at yard sales etc..already. I can't imagine starting to pump and having to do it for one year, then trying to teach a one year old how to nurse. I was really hoping for a younger baby.
Thanks again for your support. I will wait to hear back from Mexico and also check into surrogacy. There is also one US agency that says we wouldn't have to wait too long for a hispanic newborn, but for some reason after two years and 3 different agencies in the US, I just don't trust most of them.
Thanks, Cathy

Hi everyone,

Once again it's been a little while since I've had news to post but there's lots to say today. We are currently in Texas for our amnio. We did the genetic testing and DNA testing "all-in-one" compliments of DNA Diagnostics and Dynagene.

The amnio was performed by Dr. Alexander Reiter who is an extraordinary perinatalogist. All went well and our baby blessed us with a great look at the gender...IT'S ANOTHER BOY!!! Now our son Adam will have a baby brother to form the Dynamic Duo...or actually a baseball team. A girl has not been born into my family since my sister's birth 41 years ago. My aunt has 3 sons, my sister has 4 sons, and now I'll have 2 sons and so... a baseball team LOL. To add to this, our little guy is measuring a full week ahead of schedule leading us to believe that he'll probably make a good football player as well. LOL.

I'm progressing on the protocols. I had initial breast changes but no pain now. I can express a clear drop from each breast but I'm not actively doing anything more than just checking them occasionally to see that they're working.

Expressing is tricky. I couldn't get the hang of it until I was trained as a lactation consultant and went to visit Chele Marmet in person to show me how...the same person who authored the Marmet Technique for Manual Expression. So for those of you who try and don't find anything yet, don't panic. It's a learned art. Pumping always works best for me.

Hang in there ladies, the milk will come and so will the babies. It took us 8 tries on our own and 2 with our surrogate mom for Adam to come into the world. It took 7 tries for this new little guy to make it this far. Perseverence pays off in the end. Would I do it all over again if I knew then what I know now?..YES!!!

Fondly,

Lenore,
I am so happy for you! I was thinking the baby was going to be a girl for some reason,,a brother for Adam is so nice.
I know all will be well with the amnio..I know I wish I could be in your shoes, with a baby on the way! take care, Cathy

Dearest Cathy,

I am so sorry. I know what you must be feeling in part as I went through the crying and such when we were told our BM was being deported. Just devastating. And you were so close.

It WILL be. It may take a while. And it already has. But it WILL be.

I am thinking of you and sending you my love and good wishes.

Eden

Thanks Eden,
I am sure we will all have our babies at the same time! We are probably going to go ahead and apply with Guatemala, apparantly the delays are several months over there, so we may end up with a 7 month old instead of a 4 month old. We have sooo much invested in the paperwork for there, we might as well just go ahead with it. We'll see! I am pumping every couple of hours,,,,getting the phlange and horns wet with the left and still drops on the right...day six of pumping. I still have my period also. Lenore says when I stop bleeding my supply should start going up...Thanks alot,, Cathy

Lenore!
It's been so long since I have been here...geeze my brain is fried. It seems like just yesterday I was sharing news and you were and now...lookie there...two boys...though you beat me to the announcement. Very cool.
I just read through your entire progress report. Things sound absolutely wonderful...not that they wouldn't be...being that you created this wonderful little protocol.

Just wanted to give my best of luck to you. And I will def be keeping in touch and hopefully pop in here more often.


Susan,
cured colitis for DD with Newman/Goldfarb protocol ag 2 1/2 now.
Anxiously awaiting baby number 2 due Aug 31

Hey Lenore,

Great news!!! I'm so happy for you. And little Adam will be a fantastic big brother. He must be thrilled!! You and Rob have been through so much, you deserve this!!

Felicitations!!!!

Esther

Lenore! TWo boys! Hooray! You are going to be one busy lady!

I read Adam's story and was so grateful for it! Thank you so much for that! That may be our situation as well wtih our BM's previa situation. I hope we have a good hospital that is open to adoption and supportive of ABF.

I am very thankful for this site and all the help it offers.

Many Thanks,

Eden

Lenore,
I know you had great success on the protocol with your first child. I wonder if you can share some of the details. Did you pump before the baby was born and if so, how much were you able to pump and do you remember how long it took you to build your supply? Did you use a supplementer in the beginning? When you pumped, did you do anything special to relax etc. I usually pump while on the internet but wondered if I would be more successful while in the nursery in the rocker, visualizing, burning baby scented candle etc. Any other tips for success?
Thanks for your support!
JP

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for your good wishes. The results of the amniocentesis are almost all in and so far our baby is fine. All 46 chromosomes, no Down's Syndrome, no spina bifida, we're very relieved.

All is going very well and we're currently at 18 1/2 weeks. I went and orderd a glider type rocking chair yesterday. I had always meant to get one after we got home from the NICU in California. We donated the one we used in California to the hospital, but somehow, with Adam coming two months early and it being winter and we were so exhausted from the whole ordeal that all I wanted to do was breastfeed him and sleep. And that's what we did. You can read my story here: http://www.asklenore.com/breastfeeding/mothers_story.html

Flash forward 3 years and there is a rocking chair in Adam's nursery class. Every day when I drop him off he wants me to rock him in the rocking chair. So I spoke with him today and told him I had ordered him a present...his very own rocking chair. He in turn came running in with a present for the new baby, rattles that he bought with his grandpa today at the dollar store especially for his brother.

Fondly,

Hello Everyone,

Howdy from Houston!!! Well we had our level 2 ultrasound yesterday and it was AMAZING. First our wonderful surrogate mom let us feel our baby's kicks for the first time as she lay on the table. It was a very exciting moment for us and one that we milked for all it was worth LOL. We stood there and felt around until the perinatalogist came in. He did the regular ultrasound first. Our baby is fine and has all his parts in the right place thank goodness. He measured at 24 weeks exactly and 1 1/2 pounds. Then he said "Lets meet your son!" and he turned on the 3-D!!! We were so surprised cause we didn't even know they had a 3-D and low and behold, there was our son staring back at us...or rather 1/2 of him, the other half was covered by his hands which made him look rather like a lizard but he finally moved them and he was SOOOO CUTE!!! We're having the best time with this pregnancy and all because of our wonderful surrogate mom who has made this the best experience we could ever have hoped for.

Fondly,

Lenore,
This is wonderful!! Not much longer and you will have your baby in your arms.. Its coming up fast. How fascinating to see your baby in the womb like that. I know your on cloud nine!!
hugs, Nona

Hi Everyone,

It's been a while since my last update, about two months and in that time I went to Sydney, Australia for the International Lactation Consultants Association annual conference, went on a family vacation to Disney, and we just all got back from Houston where we had the most incredible visit. So it's been a busy summer!

My son Adam celebrated his fourth birthday on Sept 17. It's so hard to believe it's been 4 years already!! The very next day my husband and I and our wonderful surrogate mom went to court to have our gestational agreement validated. This means that we have a court order indicating that my husband and I are the legal parents. This was a first in Texas where the law regarding surrogacy recently changed. What made our case so unique is that we were already in process with a pregnancy when the law changed. We have an incredible attorney Greg Stern who facilitated all of this for us. He's located in Houston, Texas. The man is a genius. He's also the nicest guy. I highly recommend him for any surrogacy arrangements in Texas. The judge was such a nice man and he had such nice things to say to our wonderful surrogate mom. He told her she was doing something really special and wished us all good luck.

I can't say enough about our wonderful surrogate mom. She's been so generous, thoughtful and kind throughout this entire process. My heart is full. We spent some quality time with her and her family this trip and had the best time together.

The next day we all went for an OB visit and our fabulous OB Dr. Maccato, gave us a quick peek at our son. He's already 34 weeks!! This is a first for us since Adam never made it past 32. Kinda fun seeing him all cozy in there. And head down thank goodness. Adam's favorite thing was jumping on the placenta!! He never did get himself "head down".

As for my progress with the protocol, it's been nothing less than INCREDIBLE!!! As you may recall, my first day pumping the first time I did the protocol 4 years ago, I only made 1/8 tsp. Well this time I made 1 full tsp on the first day and by the end of the first week was pumping 2 oz per day. Today is day 13 and I pumped 3 oz!! Now you have to keep in mind that it's been nearly impossible for me to pump 8 times because I've been travelling. I've got the new Medela Pump In Style Traveller with the regular adapter, battery pack, and car lighter adapter and believe me when I tell you, I've been pumping EVERYWHERE. But still, because we've been running around Houston looking for a place to stay for the birth, and going to court and OB visits, I've only managed to pump about 5 times per day. I'm hoping to increase that this week. My goal is to try to double my milk supply each week. I also didn't manage to start the herbs yet cause I forgot them at home...dopey me.

I gained about 30 pounds total on the protocol. As long as I didn't stick a carb in my mouth I was fine but as soon as I ate a piece of bread...boom my weight shot up. Well as soon as I stopped the Ortho 1/35 I went right back on Atkins and already lost 4 pounds!!.

I'll try to keep everyone posted weekly now that we're coming down to the wire. My goal is 32 oz like last time and hopefully I'll get there again but right now I'm shooting for 4 oz per day so that I know my baby will get all the immune benefits.

This has been such a fabulous experience. My husband and I are much calmer the second time around and everything is falling into place nicely thank goodness.

Thank you to everyone who has offered support and encouragment along this amazing journey. It was a rough ride until the pregnancy but it's been smooth sailing once the "bun was in the oven."

Fondly,

Hi Lenore,
I am so happy that the baby is doing well and that so much of the legal work is behind you, it must be a relief. I wish I was making 3 ounces a day! That is fabulous and only on day 13. I brought my 5 ounces of frozen milk (took me 3 months to get it) and gave it to Ana with pride! I have Mary and Dawn giving me milk this time to take down also,,and I have another ounce in my freezer of mine to give her. I thinkg after our visit the end of October I will stop pumping. She is not going to be home until April, and there is no way I can pump until then. I also want to get the weight off and get more energy etc..before our new arrival is home. Its been over one year between the protocol and pumping..I am happy that I got to give her my own breastmilk and know that I may have helped her immune system a little bit. It is very polluted in Guatemala and she was sick when I was there last time, already been on a 10 day course of antibiotics at 8 weeks old..depressing!
Only a few weeks to go Lenore ,,,I know everything is going to go great. After your second son are you going to think about adopting a little girl? It seems to be so much easier in Canada than the US. Well, we all wish you the best and keep on pumping....take care, Cathy

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to let you all know that although it may seem like I dropped off the face of the earth, I'm actually alive and well and happily breastfeeding my 3 1/2 month old son.

Ethan is continuing to thrive. He's over 15 pounds at this point. Luckily our wonderful surrogate mom pumped for 3 months and so we do have a freezer full of milk to help us out. In fact she pumped for two babies because a friend of hers was having supply issues. She pumped 50 ounces per day and split it between us. She really is an angel.

I'm continuing to do well with the protocol. Ethan gets most of his breastmilk from me.

Still on the domperidone and herbs. My weight has stabalized for now and I expect to lose quite a bit once I wean.

I do have some rather remarkable news to share. I just found out that I was accepted into the Ph.D program at Union Institute and University!!! I plan to start the program in September when Ethan is about 10 months old.

To all of you who are on the protocol, keep the faith...it really does work.

Fondly,

Lenore,

Many thanks for your website and work in induced lactation. My baby is due any day with our angel/gestational surrogate. We went with gestational surrogacy because I have Marfan syndrome and chose not to get pregnant to prevent my aorta from possibly tearing in birth like my Mother's did. I feel very fortunate to have been working on inducing lactation with Kathleen Huggins, RN, MS, IBCLC, author of The Nursing Mother?s Companion. Unfortunately, I only started the protocol on January 2, 2004 ... I'm on the Advanced Protocol now, though I did two weeks of the Regular Protocol so as to give my system a graduated introduction to the impending change. I have a two week supply of frozen breastmilk that another angel/dear friend pumped for me. Our gestational surrogate will pump her collustrum, though does not enjoy pumping and is not planning to, as far as I know. I am leary of using milk banks and thus have not sought any out. My concerns are how the hospital our gestational surrogate is giving birth at will treat me, whether I should risk taking my precious supply of breastmilk from my friend (in case the hospital won't allow me to use it in the supplementer), and how long my milk last once it comes in, since I'll have only been on the protocol for 8-weeks. I welcome your input, or anyone else's. I apologize for not registering, but only found your site today (duh!) Here is my email: harakaki@concentric.net

Your work along with Kathleen's experience and guiidance has given me the gift of giving my son the best start in life possible. It also is allowing me the gift of that special bond for both he and I. Since I wasn't able to experience pregnancy, being able to breastfeed is a huge gift.

Thank you so much for your wonderful work.
Aloha,
Christina Arakaki

Hi Christina,

CONGRATULATIONS on your impending arrival!!! And thank you for your kind remarks about our website. We're very proud of it.

You're best bet is to contact the hospital social worker, and the hospital lactation consultant and explain that you intend to breastfeed.

You probably don't have to bring your friend's breastmilk with you to the hospital since babies don't take very much milk in the first 24-48 hours and you may not have a place to store it.

Are you in the same town? If not, then you'll need to bring the milk packaged on dry ice with you on the drive or on the plane. Most airlines will accept specialized boxes that are used to package things stored with dry ice. The key is to place the milk in the box, then cover with newspaper, then add no more than 4 pounds of dry ice according to airline regulations...then more newspaper. Milk on the bottom, dry ice on the top in order to freeze...that's because as the ice melts the gas floats to the bottom and surrounds the milk and freezes it. Be sure to stuff the box with newspaper to minimize the spaces. Dry ice melts straight into a gas. You don't want to completely seal the box so that some of the dry ice gas can escape. Seal the center seams but leave the side seams unsealed.

BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN HANDLING DRY ICE....WEAR GLOVES...DRY ICE IS SO COLD IT CAN BURN SKIN.....

Once you arrive you'll need a place to put the milk....don't put dry ice in the freezer..it's so much colder it will shut the freezer down.

If you want more detailed instructions on how to store and ship breastmilk...email me at lenore@asklenore.info

If you get your surrogate a Pump in Style, she may be more inclined to pump for you. Also, don't forget to offer her some incentive like a day at the Spa, a savings bond...something like that.

And please say hi to Kathleen for me....

Hope this helps...
fondly,

Hi Lenore,

Thanks for your reply. Tomorrow I will call the Social Work Department at the hospital. Our surrogate is about a five hour drive away from us ... we will be driving. Do you think regular blue ice and lots of it would do for packing the breastmilk? Then we could store it in a regular freezer once we are in the area? Currently, it is in a subzero freezer. Also, do you think our surrogate would get any milk other than collostrum if she pumped at the hospital? She was asking about that tonight, so I'd love to hear your thoughts. I have an Ameda hospital grade double breast pump from the Breastfeeding Clinic at General Hospital in San Luis Obispo, and that pump is what I was planning to bring to the hospital for both our surrogate and I to use with our own attachments. If our surrogate agreed to pump for a while, whether I rented a hospital grade pump or bought a Pump in Style for our surrogate, do you think pumping would alleviate her discomfort of engorgement ... sort of like a more gradual weaning period rather than pumping collostrum and then being painfully engorged for a week? She experienced painful engorgement in her first surrogacy pregnancy and would like to know how to reduce that pain.

Anyhow, I am very encouraged to hear a story like yours, and kudos to you for breastfeeding your children. I hope after only two months of the protocol that I wll have some milk for my son. Do you have any preference of the SNS verses the Lactaid? I bought an SNS, but I've been reading so many good things about the Lactaid, I am wondering if I should get one of those as well. If so, would you suggest buying it from Lactaid directly? What quantity would you recommend?

I'll pass on your hello to Kathleen when I talk to her next.

Many Thanks, and Happy Breastfeeding,
Christina

Hi Christina,

Well basically I wouldn't trust that breastmilk to blue gel packs over a 5 hour drive.....you're much better off using the dry ice and it's a lot less expensive than you think...about $1 per pound...all you need is about 4 pounds....

Look up dry ice in your local phone book or call Kroger or Publix or your local grocery store chain and ask which location nearest you sells dry ice.

You can use the styrofoam cooler from Wall Mart. Just make sure that your car is well ventilated...airconditioning without recycling the air is fine.

Your surrogate can expect to pump collostrum the first two days. Her milk should come in on day 3 or so. If she wants to avoid severe engorgement she should either pump or breastfeed...yes...I said breastfeed....don't be afraid to allow your surrogate to breastfeed...it's much more efficient and will help to relieve her engorgement much better than the pump.

In our case our wonderful surrogate mom both breastfed and pumped for us. If she breastfed, I pumped. If I breastfed, she pumped and that's how it went until we were ready to return home.

As for the pump...I'm not a fan of the so called hospital grade pumps...all that means is that they've been around since the dawn of time and they have a 3 pronged plug...YUCK!

You are MUCH better off getting a Pump in Style for each of you. You can find one for about $188 here:
http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/show...p;amp;fpart=all

or used one for $65 here: http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/show...amp;amp;fpart=1

Have your surrogate pump for you as long as she is able or willing. When she is ready to wean...let me know and I'll give you the instructions.

I have used both the Lactaid and the SNS. I have to say that they both have their merits but in the end most mothers prefer the Lactaid www.lact-aid.com For one thing it can't open up on you and spill milk all over the place. The SNS "top" is on the bottom. My opend up on me and that's the last time I had the confidence to use it....believe me when I tell you I DID cry over spilled breastmilk.

It's very easy to order from the Lact-aid website directly. Order the delux starter pack...it comes with everything you need. I also ordered extra bags and the cooler.

Hope this helps.

Fondly,

You might be able to use the blue ice packs if your cooler is completely packed with MM. I have been receiving MM from a donor and she packs the cooler completely full so there's no room and sends the cooler overnight via fedex. The cooler arrives to me completely frozen!! Good luck!

Yes.. you can ship it with dry ice or with the milk only.. as long as it is PACKED to the top! No extra space in it. If you do it with just the milk. Take duck tape and seal the cooler all the way around. The milk will insulate itself and stay frozen. I have milk shipped all the time this way. Some from one coast to the next coast overnight. Arrives nicely frozen.

Hey Everyone,

I stand corrected. You are absolutely right. You CAN ship breastmilk in a cooler with blue ice packs...that's what a donor mom did for me and the breastmilk arrived safe and sound. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/smile.gif" alt="" />

I wish I could take all the credit for that "just breastfed look" you see on Ethan's face in the gallery section of this site here http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/show...amp;amp;fpart=1, but I did have help from my wonderful surrogate mom and now from some very generous donors via our fabulous, incredible, supportive member Nona who came to my rescue when Ethan's supply of frozen milk started to run out. I'm making 30 oz per day now, just about the same as when I breastfed Adam but Ethan is ENORMOUS...17 pounds at 4 months of age. And drinking 45 oz!! So I needed help...yep me...the breastmilk queen <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/blush.gif" alt="" /> ...and I'm not too shy to ask for it. And Nona and 3 donor moms came to my rescue. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

As I said, I'm making about 27-30 oz per day. How do I know? Well I occasionally have to miss a feeding and at that time he takes in 5 oz, sometimes even 6 oz from an AVENT bottle. Note, I did not let Ethan near anything remotely "bottle like" until he was 6 weeks old. The reason for that is bottles are the fastest way to kill your milk supply especially in the first few weeks and baby is prone to nipple confusion in the first few weeks as well. If you wait until then it's easier to allow a caregiver to feed your baby and then get baby right back onto the breast.

I had a little trouble with thrush a couple of weeks ago <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/frown.gif" alt="" /> and had to miss some feedings, pumped instead. So with all of this, I know how much I produce per feeding 3-4 oz and how much Ethan is taking in over a 24 hour period, 9 feedings x 5 oz average = 45 oz average.

Our wonderful surrogate mom helped out in the beginning and pumped and shipped frozen breastmilk to me from Texas to Montreal. You can ship breastmilk provided it is frozen. My surrogate mom shipped her milk which was stored in the Gerber storage bags with the ziplock top, inside the styrofoam coolers that you can get practically anywhere for about US$3. She then went to Mailboxes Etc and bought a cardboard box (about US$5) to put the cooler in because most shippers won't ship a styrofoam cooler. The bagged milk goes on the bottom of the cooler and then newspaper and then dry ice on top...no more than 5 pounds per cooler to keep within airline regulations...then more newspapers on top. Only the center seams of the box are sealed. When shipping with dry ice it's important not to completely seal every seam on the box so that the dry ice can vent a little...otherwise KABOOM! <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/shocked.gif" alt="" /> Pressure will build up from the dry ice melting to a gas. To find dry ice, just look in your yellow pages and ask the distributer who carries it near you. We've found dry ice at some Kroger and some Publix stores. In Montreal, it's only available at two places that specialize in dry ice. This is where I went for my dry ice when I wanted to take the frozen breastmilk with me to Florida.

Alternatively you can purchase a large 64 quart camping cooler for about US$18 at WalMart or Target etc. You line the bottom and sides of the cooler with frozen blue ice paks. Then put the bagged frozen breastmilk inside, then more blue ice packs on top...usually about 12-15 ice packs will do the trick. Seal the cooler up with tape and ship it...no need to put the camping cooler in a box.

We've shipped via FedEx priority overnight and UPS express overnight. To ship internationally you need to fill out a commercial invoice. Note that it is illegal to buy or sell breastmilk and so we put a value of US$1 and checked the box that said "not sold" and where it asked for a price we put "gift". There is no need to fill out a commercial invoice when shipping state to state but still the value should not exceed US$1. Be very sure to mark "FROZEN BREASTMILK" under "description".

Ok so then the breastmilk arrives....in the case of our surrogate mom who underwent extensive infectious disease testing, all we did was thaw the milk and use it in either the Lact-aid or bottle.

In the case where even though the donor is a surrogate who has been tested...if you can't get the documentation to prove it, you are taking a risk. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/ooo.gif" alt="" /> What I decided to do is to pasteurize all milk that comes in regardless of the source if it's not from either me or my surrogate. Pasteurization will kill most nasty bugs while maintaining the nutritional quality of the milk. I'm in the process of working out a simplified way to pasteurize and as soon as I have more information I will let you all know how I did this.

I'm not so worried about losing immune factors because I'm providing them myself with my own milk. I'm also providing growth factors, enzymes, vitamins and all the other goodies via my own breastmilk. But for those of you who are reading this and who may just be starting out...if you are producing small amounts of breastmilk and supplementing the vast portion with donor milk, you'll want to provide your baby with infant vitamins including vitamin D. Something like PolyViSol plus D will do the trick. FYI it's a good idea to provide your baby with Vitamin D drops anyway. That's what the AMA and the CMA recommend.

There is no shame in supplementing. The main goal is to do the best you can, provide nurturing at the breast, and most importantly...love and enjoy your baby. You won't do yourself or your baby any good if you get completely stressed out about milk supply....believe me...I learned this the hard way. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/blush.gif" alt="" />

I was pumping after feeds, using the Lact-aid and running myself ragged trying to keep up with my baby's needs and recover from my bout with thrush. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif" alt="" /> I had one week's worth of my surrogate's milk left. At that point I emailed Nona and said HELP!!! And being the fantastic, supportive and absolutely non-judgmental person that she is, <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" /> she rescued me within a day...I'm not kidding...all it took was a day! I practically wept with relief. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif" alt="" />

It's a lot of pressure being the milk supply queen LOL. <img src="http://www.asklenore.com/ubbthreads/images/icons/tongue.gif" alt="" /> Here I find myself 44 years old and perimenopausal, trying to duplicate my first breastfeeding experience...except the first time I was 5 years younger and still producing eggs, my son Adam was a preemie who grew "normally" once he was at term... Not Ethan "the baby dinosaur" LOL.

Hope this helps.

Fondly,

Hey Christina,

I've moved your post over here
for your convenience.

Fondly,